I like to find the small crumbs of stories that too often fall through the cracks between the blogs. I've written for CNET, The Daily, and I was a managing editor at TechCrunch. I'll be talking about Microsoft, Amazon, Nintendo, and other NW companies, from the giants to the smaller start-ups you haven't heard of yet as well as Anonymous, Net Neutrality, and where the Web meets the law.

Netflix To Offer $11.99 Family Plan, Beats HBO In Subscribers

NetflixNetflix is being proactive when it comes to subscriber growth, as the earnings report it announced today shows. It’s getting high marks for both generating its own content — stand out and exclusive shows like House of Cards are attractive to viewers – and by solidifying important licensing deals, like those it has with Warner Brothers Television and FoxFox Television.

In addition, Netflix reported 29.17 million paid subscribers in the US for the first quarter of 2013, which surpasses the 28.7 million subscribers that HBO had at the end of last year. The fact that it now has more subscribers than the number two premium television channel (Encore was number one at the end of last year) is an important indicator of its upward growth, even though it’s not itself a cable channel.

Those subscribers are, in general, single users, as a Netflix account allows for only two simultaneous streams of content at the same time; if more than two people share an account they’d have to work out amongst themselves who gets to watch what and when it shall be watched.

To that end, Netflix also announced today an upcoming optional plan that would allow for up to four simultaneous streams on an account instead of two for $11.99 a month, $4 more than the current $7.99 single user plan.

It doesn’t expect many users to opt for it – around one percent – but it is something that should be attractive to families or those who want to share an account amongst many friends, such as a shared housing situation. Netflix did not, however, announce a method that would allow my girlfriend to watch Downton Abbey without affecting my Netflix Suggests queue. One can always hope.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.

I’ll probably be the minority here that actually upgrades to that. I’ve got 2 netflix accounts right now. As a family of 4, with 4 very different tastes, in the evening, 1/2 of us were getting left out of watching out shows ;)

I agree, it’s the same in my house. That said, it would be nice if one could create “profiles” under a given login/subscription, allowing me to take better advantage of the suggestions. I regret more and more not buying Netflix shares at the end of 2011.

The article fails to point out that Netflix streaming is very limited in content. Only once in the past 5 months have I found anything I wanted to watch that was available for streaming. Netflix is better as a DVD/Blu-ray service. I’ll keep my cable thank you.

You must have very narrow tastes. This is the truth about netflix, if you find even one TV series on it that you like to watch it has just paid for over a years worth of its subscription. Only about 2% of netflix’s content appeals to me but that is more than enough to justify its cost.

we have 3 roku boxes and two wi fi TV’s. We have netflix and a hulu acct that is 15 dollars a month for both. We can only run two Tv’s with netflix but this is the kid prefered channel so only two tvs can stream this. We are usually watching something else at the same time so its not a bid deal at our house. so just two streams at the same time for netflix.

I’ll upgrade that way – I have kids, and it gets really old haggling over who watches what – we have young ones who like it for the kids stuff, teens for the teens stuff, girls and boys with different tastes, and my wife and I… it should be helpful.

If you could get HBO or Showetime without cable for around the same price I think it would have more subscribers than Netflix. The baggage with HBO and showtime is the cable companies for most people. I think it would be bad for Netflix if HBO did let people subscribe without cable. Would you rather have HBO or Netflix for the same price?

Personalized queues are actually in the works according to a report from Bloomberg: “Netflix is considering family accounts that would let people keep individual queues and see personal recommendations, company executives said last May at a JPMorgan Chase & Co. conference.”

Kaitlyn. if you think Martin`s st0ry is really great… last wednesday I got a top of the range GMC after earning $9841 this – 5 weeks past and just a little over ten-k this past-month. without a doubt its the best work I’ve ever done. I began this seven months/ago and right away was bringing in over $79, per/hr. I went to this site, >>>> ℬIG76 ℂℴℳ

Am still waiting for a generous person to help me acquire a house/home of my own. even if it means working for that person paying that money back, I will do or putting attendants in the house to so that every month I pay back what am being given from the attendants, I will do that until I pay all the money and the house remains mine.

Sorry but Netflix doesn’t hold a candle to HBO and never will. I laugh at the media trying to paint cable TV as dead. Sorry but no one watches Netflix “original” programming. Cable is infinitely better than the limited streaming of crap netflix offers.

I’ve had Netflix since the DVDs, when they switched to streaming for $7.99 a month I stopped with the DVDs. In the last 6 months I’ve kept Netflix and cut down my cable to basic local channels. When my cable company asked I told them my reason and they were not happy about that at all, they kept telling me about how Netflix doesn’t have everything and I would be missing out, saying I would be missing shows that Netflix has that are not up to date, however for another $7.99 I got a 30 day trial of Hulu+ after explaining to the cable company yet again I didn’t need their 200+ channels (they claimed to have 1000) but we all know several hundred are PPV, Music, Sports.

I had to explain to the person on the phone that for 16$ a month I was getting everything I needed and I had no use for paying almost 120$! for their expensive cable package. Its Cox Cable, the highest tier they carry is 99$ you figure in taxes local/state, the DVR fee (rental) and you have to pay even more if you get another unit. So those dollars add up roughly around 120$!

Now yes Netflix & Hulu+ have their downside they might not have everything that I do like, however I have my TV hooked up to my computer after a show airs that I like, say for instance “The Mentalist.” 24 hours after it airs its available to watch on CBS’s web site, yes it does have commercials, but all it costs is my monthly internet fee.